The fast of Esther occurs the day before Purim from dawn to dusk. The Jewish people along with Esther and Mordechai fasted as there was a decree to annihilate all the Jews given by Haman.
Purim celebrates the victory of the Jews over this evil decree. On Purim, the Book of Esther is read. There is the custom to give mishloach manot, charity to the poor, and to have a meal to celebrate. People can dress up for Purim, and there is a custom that Ashkenazim eat hamantaschen (Haman's pockets/ears) and kreplach, while Sephardim eat fazuelos, and to theoretically speaking, drink wine until one does not know the difference between "cursed is Haman" and "blessed is Mordechai".
Since the entire miracle of Purim came about through wine, our sages obligated us to get drunk, or at least to drink more than what we are used to, in order to remember the great miracle. However, if one knows oneself, and is likely to neglect the performance of a mitzvah [commandment], such as washing one's hands before eating bread or making a blessing over food before and after eating or that one might forget to pray or might act in a light-headed way, it is better not to get drunk. (Quoted in Be'ur Halakhah 694, s.v. "Ad") http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Purim/At_Home/Meal/Drinking_on_Purim.shtml
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